Witness and Jury Tampering

The judicial system is one of the backbones of the society that we live in.  As such, most states have laws that are written and designed to make the judicial process as free from interference as possible. Criminal law in the state of North Carolina is no exception. Any criminal lawyer will tell you that with criminal trials, the focus is on the witnesses and what evidence that witness can introduce against the defendant.  Also, in the state of North Carolina, when it comes to Superior Court, which is mostly for felony criminal trials, a big focus is on the make-up and the fairness of the jury.

North Carolina criminal law makes protections for both groups of people by providing criminal statutes for harassment of and communication with jurors, which is covered under North Carolina General Statutes 14-225.2, and Intimidating or interfering with witnesses, which is covered under North Carolina General Statutes 14-226. We will give some insight on these two laws, but if you need more detail it is best to contact a criminal defense attorney.

Harassment of and communication with jurors

• A person is guilty of this crime if the state can prove that; with the intent to influence the official action of another as a juror, harasses, intimidates, or communicates with the juror or their spouse; or as a result of a prior official action of another as a juror in a grand jury proceeding or trial, threatens in any manner or in any place, or intimidates the former juror or their spouse.
• This means that interference, whether it is before the trial is concluded or after the trial has been concluded, Is still punishable under North Carolina criminal law.
• This crime is punishable as a Class H Felony.

Intimidating or interfering with witnesses

• A person is guilty of this crime if the state can prove that; he or she threatened, menaced or in any other manner intimidated or attempted to intimidate any person who is summoned or acting as a witness in any of the courts of the State of North Carolina, or prevented or deterred, or attempted to prevent or deter any person summoned or acting as such witness from attendance upon such.
• This crime is punished as a Class G Felony.

As you can see from the above stated information, these charges are both felonies.  In North Carolina, felonies have serious consequences, as stated in the North Carolina Sentencing Guidelines.  Often, criminal defendants want to take matters into their own hands by convincing someone not to testify against them or not to show up to court.  This is something that can lead to more trouble for the defendant than he was previously in.  This is one of the many reasons that it is in your best interest to hire a criminal defense lawyer, when facing a criminal charge.

A criminal defense lawyer will know the best strategy to help you with your case.  At Gilles Law we take on both State and Federal criminal cases in North Carolina and South Carolina.  Contact Us, if you need a criminal defense lawyer.